
Primary Type – Cards
Secondary Type - Cards
Language – Cards
Creator – Cards
Date – Cards
Group – Cards
Location – Cards
Event – Cards
Handwritten card in blue, green, red, and orange marker on paper. The front of the card reads: "Thank you for helping [our] community and keeping us safe. Love, [illegible]." Two flowers, above grass, appear to the right. The inside, written in two hands, reads: "Thank you very m[uch]" and "and thank you for being...in..." Color bleeding due to exposure to the elements at the Wilkins memorial.
Post-it note with handwritten message in black marker. The message reads: "We will be better." Minor staining due to exposure to the elements at the Wilkins memorial.
Black and white photograph showing large group of people in a banquet hall. Label taped onto photograph reads, "1955."
Card from a congregant at the Holy Angels Parish. The front cover contains a stock illustration of a haloed dove flying in front of Noah's ark. The inside reads: "Sorry for what happen on Saturday. I prayed for you. Love, Holy Angels CCD." Color bleeding due to water exposure at the memorial site.
Handwritten letter written in green ink on white coloring paper, folded in half, from Lizzie, age twenty. Addressed to Lizzie's community in Pittsburgh. Lizzie explains her impulse to write this letter: "I'm not sure how to put this in words, but I do know that I have the urge to send something." Lizzie identifies herself as Jewish in her card. Tearing in upper center may be due to exposure to the elements sustained at the Wilkins memorial.
Card from a congregant at the Holy Angels Parish. The front cover contains a stock illustration of seven children holding hands around a table with a large goblet and loaf of braided bread, and seven doves. The illustration is labeled: "We are people of God's peace." The inside reads: "Dear Tree of Life Members, We are all praying for you and your losses. Please join in our prayers for the police officers injured. From Holy Angels CCD."
Document with reflections, sheet music, and song lyrics, 9 pages.
Note addressed to all the victims of the October 27 attack. Written on a dark grey card.
Letter from a member of the Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California. The letter reads: "Our dear brothers and sisters at Tree of Life, You are not alone! I pray that God, our father, will fill you to overflowing with His peace and love as you mourn the loss of your family. May you find comfort in the knowledge that even in this tragedy God is in control and will bring beauty from the ashes. 'My comfort in my suffering in this: Your promise preserves my life.' Psalm 119:50."
Note from a member of The Church at Severn Run in Severn, Maryland. The note is enclosed in an envelope with church letterhead, reading: "The Church at Severn Run: Love Well, Live Jesus, Believe Big!" The note inside reads: "You are loved by GOD and by ME. [Signature illegible]." The church's contact information is included on the back of the envelope.
Letter from a member of the Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California. The letter reads: "Tree of Life, I bleed for you and with you. My soul hurts for you. I stand with you in your faith. I pray for healing. Lola. Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church."
Handwritten note written in purple marker on white paper reading: "We are all praying for you on this tragic day." Signed by the Yu, Kaufmann, and Bernstein families. Color bleeding due to exposure to the elements at the Wilkins memorial.
Typed condolence note with the names of the eleven victims of the October 27 attack listed in alphabetical order.
Oral history with Jess Gold recorded as part of the Meanings of October 27th oral history project.
Card painted with blue paint on the front. The words "Tree of Life" and several Stars of David, hearts, and five-pointed star were drawn with marker. A smiley face sticker was placed on the bottom left edge. An orange sticky note in the shape of a twelve-pointed star with the words "Strength and Unity for ALL" was placed in the center. The back of the card contains the words "Thoughts and Prayers for ALL" on the left, accompanied by illustrations of Stars of David, hearts, and five-pointed stars.
Note from a member of The Church at Severn Run in Severn, Maryland. The note is enclosed in an envelope with church letterhead, reading: "The Church at Severn Run: Love Well, Live Jesus, Believe Big!" The note inside reads:
Card with photograph of flower. Handwritten text on front of envelope reads, "To: Tree of Life in sympathy and solidarity" and back of enveloped reads, "Won't you be my neighbor? Mr. Rogers." Handwritten interior of card expresses love for the Pittsburgh Jewish community and evokes Mr. Roger's: "We are called upon to remember the spirit of Mr. Rogers and love each and every one of our neighbors who make our community so wonderful."
Note from a member of The Church at Severn Run in Severn, Maryland. The note is enclosed in an envelope with church letterhead, reading: "The Church at Severn Run: Love Well, Live Jesus, Believe Big!" The note inside reads: "Pray for world peace. Praying for all. Love Wins!" The church's contact information is included on the back of the envelope.
Handwritten note in red marker on a piece of brown paper from a family. Dated 10-27-18.
Letter from a member of the Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California. The letter is dated Nov. 4, 2018 and reads: "Dear Members of the Tree of Life Synagogue, An attack on your community of faith is an attack on all of us. We stand with you from afar, and renounce the hatred that brought that madman to your door. Our pastor, Karla Shaw, will deliver this letter (and many others) as a sign of our solidarity with your community. This is a tangible sign of our prayers for your community- for peace, for protection, for security, for understanding.
Terms of Use
The October 27 Archive collects responses to an antisemitic attack in Pittsburgh, Pa. on October 27, 2018. These responses take many forms but share a motivating impulse. Each began in the mind and heart of someone who was moved by the events of that day and was compelled to create something meaningful from that feeling. By sharing these responses, those people chose to be vulnerable for the sake of a greater good. The October 27 Archive website was launched with the belief that sharing these responses with the world can provide an avenue for people all over the world to reflect, learn, and heal.
By entering this website, you agree to honor the spirit in which these responses were created and in which they are being shared with the world.
The materials on this website are being made available exclusively for research purposes. For permission to use any of the materials on this website for any other purpose, please contact the archive. If you are the creator of any of the material on this website, and you would like to provide context or request to have something removed, please contact the archive. If you intend to reference any material found on this website, please attribute all citations to the Rauh Jewish Archives, so that other researchers can easily locate these materials in the future.